diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index cbdac26b4c..53a43857bc 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -71,6 +71,9 @@ Bottom level categories:
 
 ### Bug Fixes
 
+#### General
+- Fix `panic!` when dropping `Instance` without `InstanceFlags::VALIDATION`. By @hakolao in [#5134](https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/pull/5134)
+
 #### WGL
 
 - In Surface::configure and Surface::present, fix the current GL context not being unset when releasing the lock that guards access to making the context current. This was causing other threads to panic when trying to make the context current. By @Imberflur in [#5087](https://github.com/gfx-rs/wgpu/pull/5087).
diff --git a/wgpu-hal/src/dx12/instance.rs b/wgpu-hal/src/dx12/instance.rs
index 7bf5f3ef75..47e4463d2b 100644
--- a/wgpu-hal/src/dx12/instance.rs
+++ b/wgpu-hal/src/dx12/instance.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ use std::{mem, sync::Arc};
 
 impl Drop for super::Instance {
     fn drop(&mut self) {
-        crate::auxil::dxgi::exception::unregister_exception_handler();
+        if self.flags.contains(wgt::InstanceFlags::VALIDATION) {
+            crate::auxil::dxgi::exception::unregister_exception_handler();
+        }
     }
 }